Neil Waka

Neil Waka is a New Zealand broadcaster and journalist.

Education and media career After graduating from Rotorua Boys' High School, he began his media career in radio as a news and current affairs journalist before moving into television. Waka helped establish and was the first presenter in New Zealand of TV3's Nightline presenting and reporting for Nightline for three years. Waka also presented his own sports show for three years, Wynns Sport Sunday while also hosting New Zealand's first NBA show before becoming the official weekend news reader. He presented multiple programmes at TV3 including current affairs show Inside New Zealand and was the official news presenter and reporter trainer for four years. In 2000 Waka joined the TVNZ breakfast team with Mike Hosking and Kate Hawkesby as news reader, becoming the Late News presenter the following year, before joining Judy Bailey at 6pm News 12 months later, staying there for five years. Waka also developed and presented the first weekday 4:30pm news bulletins on One News for TVNZ, for almost two years from 2007.

Corporate career In 2010 Waka resigned from his television roles and moved into public relations. He took on a corporate role with global organisation General Motors Holden New Zealand for five years before moving to Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand as head of corporate affairs for New Zealand and Fiji.